richard_smith237

Its a different substrata... This may help explain why for you - Simplistically put, the quake was magnified in Bangkok due to its 'softer younger formations and basin setting' - its not abnormal, lots of other major cities are build on a similar geological setting.

Agreed & Agreed !!... plenty of comments thus far highlight a degree of jadedness in areas of high tourist footfall where a dual-coincidence of impolite, drunk and disrespectful foreigners combines with jaded Thai's who may not even be from the area resulting in a rather predicable less than pleasant out come - this develops a 'stigma' that is not really conducive to positivity. Mean while... when stepping beyond the 'critical mass' of foreigner population a pleasant equilibrium of normalcy is once again experience. I find Bangkok pleasant because people people here are just 'normal' - most foreigners here are normal, many working etc, most Thai's are too - everyone somewhat indifferent towards each other yet respectful of each other - it just feels like normal life and I enjoy that. I've been to area's well outside of the area's where foreigners are an 'every day observation' and of course, we (foreginers) are a curiosity - being followed around a supermarket by kids giggling and saying 'farang' is cute, but its not normal life - the friendly interactions with locals is highly endearing, but again - this is too far from 'normal life' for me. The spectrum of interaction and experiences in Thailand is very wide and far reaching - there is no 'one Thailand' i.e. an area that is more Thailand than any other - I read this comment a lot "That's not real Thailand"... But it is... Thailand just exists on this huge spectrum that gives many of us different experiences.

This is true... Seismologists sometimes call this problem the "Mexico City Effect" and Bangkok is often used as another example in modern textbooks because the physics are almost the same . As a comparison this what the substrata of major Thai cities is made up of: Bangkok: Age of Sediment: Holocene (up to 10,000 years old) Characteristics: Soft clay, young alluvial deposits, thick layers (over 100 meters) Stability: Low (high seismic amplification) Pattaya: Age of Rocks: Mesozoic (65–250 million years old) Characteristics: Sandstone, siltstone, shale, crystalline basement rocks, igneous intrusions Stability: Moderate (more stable than Bangkok) Kanchanaburi: Age of Rocks: Paleozoic to Mesozoic (250–540 million years old) Characteristics: Limestone, sandstone, shale, igneous and metamorphic rocks Stability: High (geologically stable) Hua Hin: Age of Rocks: Paleozoic to Mesozoic (65–540 million years old) Characteristics: Sandstone, limestone, granite intrusions Stability: High (less risk of seismic amplification) Khon Kaen: Age of Rocks: Mesozoic (65–250 million years old) Characteristics: Sandstone, shale, siltstone (Khorat Plateau) Stability: Moderate (stable foundation compared to Bangkok) Chiang Mai: Age of Rocks: Paleozoic to Mesozoic (65–540 million years old) Characteristics: Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, including granite, schist, and limestone Stability: High (rugged, mountainous terrain with hard rock base) To avoid any comments that there is blame against Thailand that its capital was 'built' on a poor geological setting' consider ancient settlement theory, access to shipping, lowest bridging points etc... and the fact that at the time little was known of quakes or the area's geological setting. There are plenty of other major cities around the world are that at similar or greater 'amplification risk' from an earthquake due to their geological settings. Los Angeles, USA: Located on the Los Angeles Basin (soft alluvial sediments); ~50 km from the Pacific-North American Plate boundary (San Andreas Fault). Salt Lake City, USA: Situated on soft lake bed sediments from ancient Lake Bonneville; ~400 km from the Intermountain Seismic Belt (within the North American Plate). Seattle, USA: Built on the Seattle Basin (soft alluvial and sedimentary layers); ~100 km from the Juan de Fuca-North American Plate boundary (Cascadia Subduction Zone). Santiago, Chile: Located in the Santiago Basin (soft sedimentary deposits); ~100 km from the Nazca-South American Plate boundary. Quito, Ecuador: Built on soft volcanic ash deposits and sedimentary basins; ~200 km from the Nazca-South American Plate boundary. Athens, Greece: Built on soft alluvial deposits in some areas; ~100 km from the Hellenic Arc (African-Eurasian Plate) boundary. Istanbul, Turkey: Partly located on soft, young sediments near the Sea of Marmara; ~20 km from the North Anatolian Fault (Eurasian-Anatolian Plate boundary). Kathmandu, Nepal: Situated in the Kathmandu Valley (soft ancient lake sediments); ~50 km from the Indian-Eurasian Plate boundary (Himalayan Frontal Thrust). Tehran, Iran: Built on alluvial deposits and loose sediments from nearby mountains; ~100 km from the Arabian-Eurasian Plate boundary (Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt). Tokyo, Japan: Located in the Kanto Basin (soft sedimentary layers); ~100 km from the Pacific-Eurasian-Philippine Sea Plate junction. Taipei, Taiwan: Built on the Taipei Basin (thick sedimentary deposits); ~50 km from the Eurasian-Philippine Sea Plate boundary. Shanghai, China: Located on soft deltaic sediments from the Yangtze River; ~1,200 km from the Pacific-Eurasian Plate boundary (Japan Trench). Wellington, New Zealand: Built on soft alluvial sediments and reclaimed land; ~30 km from the Pacific-Australian Plate boundary (Wellington Fault). Cairo, Egypt: Partly built on Nile Delta sediments (soft, unconsolidated deposits); ~1,000 km from the African-Arabian Plate boundary (Red Sea Rift).

Agreed... for those with a healthy sense of balance the positives in Thailand are all around us in abundance, sitting right alongside those the aspects that are not so positive, the negatives as they may be called. Being able to recognise both and discus openly shows a healthy sense of balance by not being overtly bias towards or against but simply having the ability to make observations. Thailand for the vast majority is clearly a net positive and thats why we are here. I too am often left pleasantly surprised when encountering simple and fast responses to situations I might have otherwise expected to include an unnecessary or beurocratic complexity.

The building under construction that collapsed did not collapse due to the 'after-shock' it collapsed due to the Earthquake. No completed structures collapsed. This earthquake was as bad as it can get in Thailand.... The previous largest quake on the same plate boundary was in 1912 with a 7.9 Mw Richter Scale. The largest quake to epicentre in Thailand is 6.1 Mw in Chiang Rai. With regards to 'further after-shocks'... this is unlikely on a large scale as this fault / plate boundary already released a significant amount of energy / stress. In short - the only thing to worry about is the excessive traffic in that area as they'll still be 'clearing the debris' so I imagine there will be a lot of lorry traffic.

Thats good to know... I wondered if any such policies would have a Force Majeuer clause rending such coverage moot.

Being overseas of a significant amount of next year I'll be looking to cut down to a minimal usage, while still maintaining the same number in which I can receive 'Wifi' roaming calls (i.e. with the existing True e-Sim) and also use as regular service when here. At the same time using local SIM's for the area's I will be in. Thus: being able to switch my number over to a yearly service would be idea. (apologies if this is highjacking the thread) -------- With regards to the Op: My Wife uses DTAC, I use True - there really isn't much difference in service - coverage or quality from what we can tell.

Wife is the same... comes down to personal preference of course.

Piggy backing on this... Do such sims work for Data Roaming and WiFi calling when overseas... And... can our existing number be kept ?

I don't know about you, but I hate 'searching' for stuff on the phone... I'll always prefer to use the laptop... from Google maps, to Agoda / Booking etc... To this forum... I had typing or looking for stuff on the phone and find the laptop much easier. Plus - the lazada App itself is so 'noisy and cluttered'....

You're so hi-so, I'm jealous I wonder if he threatens to 'slap her' if she doesn't agree with everything he says....

Why don't you take your own advice? It’s almost impressive how clueless SF is - spouting off about getting off the keyboard and living life while hunched over his own, hammering the same tired nonsense, not just once but twice. Irony really isn't his strong suit, is it? Honestly, if there was ever a poster child for the saying, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt," SF just nailed it. His contributions to the thread are living, breathing proof that some people really should stick to silence. And just when you think it can’t get any more pathetic, he starts bragging about beating up kids at school - as if that somehow elevates his status, when in reality it just makes him look even more unhinged. Throw in the threats towards strangers on an anonymous forum, and you’ve got a full-blown circus of insecurity and misplaced bravado. Well done, SF. You've managed to hijack a normal thread and turn it into your own personal playground of bitterness. Brilliant stuff....

The values are reported in MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) and can be correlated to a Local Magnitude (ML) equivalent.

Quite hypocritical don't you think, considering your content has by far been the nastiest in this thread.... Those in glass houses... You first suggested the Op is a stinky old foreigner and that 'she's letting him know'..... You then threatened the guy who lightly retaliated.... Take a look in the mirror

100% this - there really is nothing more to it.... and... IF you have spoken Thai, the its just a very simple habit the other person has evolved when speaking with a foreigner in an area of high tourist footfall. Consider it respectful - the kind of female vendor who speaks to a foreigner in such a manner is giving an example of the 'correct pronunciation', even if you have pronounced your Thai correctly - its just habit and shows good intentions - nothing more than that.

Flippin ek... you went from zero to incendiary there threading another forum member.... A tat over the top and unhinged don't you think ?

Yep... I've had the same thing... its a PITA. It used to send an OTP to the phone - the thing is, I used my Wife's number as she deals with the phone calls when something is being delivered... so when it sent the OTP I'd have to call her to get the number !! (if she was out etc).

That must have been a relief... some of the photos doing the rounds show structural damage. I'm not sure how they can retroactively repair such damage or if the building has to be condemned. Most of the photos I have seen are of superficial damage of non-load bearing walls, it looks horrific, as per the video above (from Safety First) - I don't think any of that damage is structural and can be repaired, though the costs of repair will be devastating for many.

Also note the values are in MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity)..... Bangkok ranged between IV, V and VI Equivalent to ML: 3.5 – 4.0 / ML: 4.0 – 4.9 / ML: 5.0 – 5.9 Behaviourally (i.e. based on observation) the quake can be measured up to VII, (Very Strong): Equivalent ML: 6.0 – 6.9 Everyone feels it, many people run outdoors, substantial damage (e.g., walls cracked, some structural damage). This is higher than the calculated ML equivalency posted yesterday (between 4 and 5 ML) but corresponds with some of the structural building damage we are seeing in photos yesterday and today.

This is exactly why the quake was amplified in in Bangkok compared to nearby regions. Seismologists sometimes call this problem the "Mexico City Effect" - and Bangkok is often used as another example in modern textbooks because the physics are almost the same. Depending upon how the quake occurred impacts the type of wave and even the direction of dissipation of energy impact how the quake is felt at distance. The magnitude of the 7.7Mw estimated to be between 4-5 in Bangkok due to the dissipating of energy through the bed rock, which was then amplified by the 'basin effect' of Bangkoks 'bowl' lakebed setting.... effectively like shaking a bowl of jelly. In layman's terms the quake in Bangkok was a 4-5 LM Magnitude wobble, where as in area's such as Pattaya and throughout the Korat Plateau the energy of the all waves would have dissipated within the older much harder formations. Much of how Bangkok was impacted also depends upon how the waves travel, the type of wave, and intensity each individual type, and direction of the movement. Body Waves (move through the inside of the Earth) P-Waves (Primary Waves), these are fastest type of seismic wave and move in a push-pull (compressional) motion, like a slinky. These are the first to be detected by seismographs. S-Waves (Secondary Waves), slower than P-waves, move in a side-to-side (shear) motion, perpendicular to the direction of wave travel. These cause more damage than P-waves because of their stronger movement. Surface Waves (move along the surface of the Earth) Love Waves, which move the ground side-to-side, like a snake, only travel along the surface. Usually cause a lot of damage to buildings. Rayleigh Waves, which move the ground in a rolling, elliptical motion (like ocean waves). Slowest of all seismic waves, and cause both up-and-down and side-to-side shaking.

The local magnitude (ML) of a Myanmar earthquake measured in Bangkok is calculated by recording the maximum amplitude of seismic waves at a seismograph in Bangkok. The recorded amplitude is corrected for distance using a regional attenuation model that accounts for the unique seismic wave propagation characteristics of Southeast Asia, including geological variations and wave attenuation between Myanmar and Bangkok and local events and observations (i.e. eye witness accounts). This ensures accurate ML estimation despite the significant distance between the epicentre and the measurement location. Hence the reason for a 'range' of figures given across Bangkok... 4 to 5 ML and not one single figure. Kind of correct... away from the epicentre 'impact' is not 'measured' specifically... But, it is reported as an equivalent magnitude based on events, eye witness reports etc.... and reported as ML (local Magnitude), hence my figures quote Bangkok reported an energy of between 4 and 5 ML (i.e. 4-5 equivalent magnitude) many other reports are suggesting 4.5ML and others 5.0ML.

Who would assume after one day... all buildings had been assessed and then make a judgement. 6 have been classified so far... more to come... Use your brain... .

Kind of correct... away from the epicentre 'impact' is not 'measured' specifically... But, it is reported as an equivalent magnitude based on events, eye witness reports etc.... and reported as ML (local Magnitude), hence my figures quote Bangkok reported an energy of between 4 and 5 ML (i.e. 4-5 equivalent magnitude) many other reports are suggesting 4.5ML and others 5.0ML.

Why 'could' this be the aftermath in Thailand ??? Thailand does not sit near an Major plate Boundary - a quake of this magnitude in Thailand has never happened. The largest quake to epicentre in Thailand was the 6.1 Mw Chiang Rai quake in 2014 (Mae Lao District).

'Thailand' handled this one remarkably well.... How many occupied buildings collapsed causing massive loss of life ??? Reportedly: 10 fatalities and 68 injuries... Though 85 individuals reported missing from the building collapse was tragic - but there are extenuating circumstances for that. Looking at this coldly for perspective - the rate has hardly exceeded the national road fatality daily rate (not a nice thing to say - but it adds a level of balance when responding to comments such as above) Also - if you are going to ask how Thailand 'handles Major Earthquake' then you should first understand the Geology - or Thailand or Rather Bangkok does not sit on a Major fault line / plate boundary. Ultimately, for Thailand (Bangkok) - it can't really get any bigger than yesterdays local magnitude level.